12 Days of Christmas Giveaway

Now yes, I know the 12 days of Christmas are after Christmas. But it’s Christmas time, and we are giving away a stack of prizes for 12 days! So it’s a good a name as any!

Get ready for the fun to start on Monday. We have some great prizes to give away, as well as some wonderful last minute Christmas gift ideas for the whole family. Make sure you are subscribed to our RSS so you don’t miss any of the goodies!

Each day there will be a new prize for you to win and entering is super easy. Entry is open to all Australians, not just the girls. So don’t be shy boys!

We still have a spot or 2 left if you are interested in donating a prize and getting some great last minute Christmas advertising. But they are filling quick, so contact me asap.

1200 kilowatt hours

With summer just around the corner here in Australia, our energy consumption is about to go through the roof with all manner of cooling devices switched on to help cope with the heat. It doesn’t help that the warmest months of the year also coincide with Christmas and the lighting of houses to share the spirit of Christmas and goodwill towards others.

The lights are gorgeous and many people go to considerable expense setting up elaborate displays, some on timers, others co-ordinated with music as well. Lighting displays can go from the sublime to the absolute ridiculous and lighting competitions, such as the one conducted every year in Brisbane, really do not help matters. Some people can be insanely competitive with neighbourhoods wanting to outdo others or individual neighbours wanting the biggest and best display so they can rub it in other people’s faces. I can’t say I’m surprised - it’s called the silly season for a reason.

So what has that got to do with 1200 kilowatt hours? Kilowatt hours are a measure of energy consumption and you can usually find your household energy consumption on the reverse of your quarterly electricity build. Our quarterly use over last summer was 1200 kilowatt hours with an average of 13 kilowatt hours per day - the highest during the year as we do not use heating (other than warmer clothes) during winter where I live. Is 1200 kilowatt hours a lot of juice though?? Let’s look at it in a little perspective.

I always see Rockefeller Square (New York City) in Christmas movies playing on TV at this time of year. No doubt gorgeous and lovely for the residents and tourists but I really wouldn’t want to pay their electricity bill. Last year their average daily consumption was more than double what I used over the entire quarter for the same period. Comparing them both on a daily figure - they used a staggering 260 times more electricity in a single day than I did in my home!

That’s a HUGE amount of electricity and as most people should know by now, more electricity used = more electricity produced to meet demand = more natural resources used = more pollution. The extent of pollution caused of course depends on how the energy is produced in the first place - one of the main reasons I am a vocal advocate of renewable resources for energy production.

But there’s some good news coming out of Rockefeller Square this year - they are going green! Instead of using wasteful incandescent bulbs for lighting, they are using LEDs instead. They have also installed solar photovoltaic cells on their roof to help supply their daily energy requirement. The estimated daily savings in energy consumption is quite significant - a reduction of around 2000 kilowatt hours per day. It’s refreshing to see corporations setting an example for the public and I hope that the trend will carry over to residential displays in coming years.

So please, this year if you are shopping for lighting decorations for your house, give a thought to purchasing LED varieties. They are more expensive, no doubt about that but in the long run they will save you money on your electricity bill. Even if you only purchased one LED set to replace an energy inefficient one, you’ll be setting a good example for others to follow.

All Women Blogging Carnival

Welcome Ladies to the November 26, 2007 edition of the All Women Blogging Canrival.

Unfortunately, we got stood up again, so we are hosting at home this week. We have a HUGE carnival…a record number of entries. Great to see you all, hope you enjoy the weeks carnival. Don’t forget to give a link back, and stop by and say Hi to everyone.

Just a few things before we get into the carnival. Our travelling bra is making it’s way round to visit everyone, check out the bra page to get updates and see all the fun pictures.

We are planning on having a super Christmas competition next month, with lots of prizes. Keep an eye out for it! We are looking for prize donations. If you would like to donate a prize contact me and let me know what you would like to offer, you must be willing post your prize to Australia. A chance for lots of great advertising here.

Ok..lets get on with the show…

Christine presents Film vs TV, Why We Opted to Turn the TV Off, plus Frugal Tips for Movie Buffs posted at Me, My Kid and Life: An American Single Mom Living in France, saying, “Cheap ways to see great films!”

bellevelma presents The Horses Wore Blankets posted at Running With Books.

Wendy Darling presents Mom Music posted at Future Daughters.

:: Suzanne :: presents Ron Paul: Hope for America posted at :: adventures in daily living ::.

Renae presents I Quit Reading Better Homes and Gardens posted at Life Nurturing Education.

Madeleine Begun Kane presents First (And Last) Visit posted at Mad Kane’s Humor Blog.

Doris Chua presents Understanding Menopause posted at Doris Chua: Organics & Your Health.

Corey presents Being “On the Cheap” Isn’t Always So Bad! posted at Living and Loving Every Minute of It!.

Teri presents The decision posted at My Journey to Thin.

librablog presents A Seattleite in Paris: french flirting begins at a young age posted at A Seattleite in Paris.

Carole G. McKay presents Two By Two posted at McKay Today, saying, “An observation on the “missing” Divine Feminine from our world and the value of balance and harmony.”

GP presents Such a Deal when You Love Your Job posted at Innside Montana-Your Home at the Range, saying, “Do you love your job? Find something that you LOVE to do, put some work into it and the effects you’ll have can be pretty amazing.”

gamy presents Self Improvement Starts With Making Decisions posted at Mind Think Success, saying, “To have a positive change in your life, you have to decide you want a positive change, and this in itself is making a decision.”

Tiffany Washko presents Lead Free Toy Guide posted at Natural Family Living Blog.

Karen Shanley presents Of Brick Walls and Petty Tyrants posted at Karen Shanley.

WhatWorksForUs presents Bliss Like This posted at What Works For Us.

Chatty Cassie presents Losing the last 10 pounds posted at Daily Chick Chat.

Becky Gillaspy presents Portion Distortion-How Portion Sizes Have Grown over the Years posted at Weight Loss without Worry, saying, “The past twenty years have produced a lot of change and our “normal” portion size is no exception. Here are a few examples of how our portions have grown over the past two decades.”

J.B.R. presents For the motivation posted at Me, Only Better.

Kalyn presents Easy Savoury Party Food Ideas posted at LifeEdit.net.

Aparna presents The luxury called oil bath posted at Beauty and Personality Grooming, saying, “Agreed that in the hurly-burly of life today, it is not convenient for us to have a proper bath and as a result our daily baths are usually hurried affairs. But you can reserve at least a few days in the year to pamper yourself zealously by spending quality time in bathing. In most south Indian homes, a luxurious ‘oil bath’ is mandatory on Diwali day”

Mandy presents How To Find A Good Theme posted at builda-blog.com, saying, “Looking at how I found my new theme and what i was looking for!”

Wanda Grindstaff presents Success Through Service, the Most Important Component! posted at Creating Abundant Lifestyles.

Paula Gregorowicz presents Lessons from the Fog posted at Coaching4Lesbians.

Tina presents Eat more beef posted at My Weblog.

Tina presents Can you sew a button?? posted at Country Stitchin.

jeni presents Infomercials - Fool Me No More! posted at Savvy Skin: Anti-aging Skincare secrets to fabulous, smooth, glowing skin! Skin care, Botox, acne and wrinkle prevention tips.

Maria Fernandez presents Learn a foreign language - blog: Search results for Maitena posted at Learn a foreign language - blog.

Christine presents The Dollar Drops Again! How the Exchange Rate Affects Travel. posted at Me, My Kid and Life: An American Single Mom Living in France, saying, “Thinking about how you spend before you travel so you don’t need to think about how you spent once you’ve returned home.”

Holly Ord presents The “I’m Thankful For… Day posted at Menstrual Poetry.

DeniseGrier presents Chicken Tortilla Soup posted at FRUGAL FRANNY.

Carole Fogarty presents Nine things you don?t know about your children?s bedroom: posted at THE HEALTHY LIVING LOUNGE, saying, “If your children have trouble sleeping, restless nights, wake up feeling tired, complain of aches and pains, foggy thinking, generally feel unwell or constantly ill then the solution to any of these ailments could quite well be found lurking somewhere in your son or daughters bedroom.”

Gley Yahya presents How to Start an eBay Business posted at Work At Home Start Up Guide, saying, “Few years ago I was considered as a power seller on Ebay (I stopped working on eBay. Reason I stopped work, due to bad events). My secret to being a Power Seller was “Building Trust in The First Place”. To help you start an ebay business and reach the same level as quick as possible, I’ve developed a step-by-step guide you can use to learn how to start an ebay business the right way and become part of… The “Best” Of eBay Power Sellers – The Ones Who Actually Make Big Money on eBay!”

BethChelle presents A Fat Chick And The Free $50 Subway Gift Card. posted at Ramblings Of An Undisturbed Mind, saying, “Just humorous story about being horizontally challenged and being able to laugh at myself-and still feel good.”

Simonne presents With few money in the pocket and still having some time to spend in Paris and nearby? posted at Join Them!.

Jenny-up the hill presents Royal de Luxe’s Little Girl Giant posted at Up the Hill Gang.

James DeLelys presents HOME posted at HOME, saying, “What is Love?”

paidtwice presents Debt as Bondage posted at I’ve Paid For This Twice Already…, saying, “I can’t wait til the shackles are finally lifted.”

Pearl presents Best 101 Lists posted at :: Interesting Observations ::, saying, “thank you!”

tenforty presents Roosters posted at ten-forty, saying, “A little story with photos”

D Robinson presents Rachel Kayrooz: one woman can make a difference posted at Australian Women Online, saying, “The inspiring story of a young woman who is making a difference in the lives of women and children who have lived in a domestic violence situation”

Tay presents The #1 Reason Why You Will Fail As A Blogger posted at Super Blogging.

Cindy Posey presents Playtime Workout for Moms and Toddlers 2 posted at Go Workout Mom, saying, “Playing with your babies is a great way to incorporate exercise into your day. Have fun with everyday toddler songs and sounds!”

pickel presents Discussing Autism » Blog Archive » Schools Go Green? posted at Discussing Autism.

pickel presents I Didn’t Save Him posted at A Child Chosen.

Lynnae presents Of Pilgrims, Thankfulness, and a Worthy Goal posted at beingfrugal.net.

Silicon Valley Blogger presents Counting My Blessings and Not My Pennies, For A Change posted at The Digerati Life, saying, “Thank you! Here were some of my reflections last Thanksgiving Day.”

Mrs. Micah presents Get Medical Attention! posted at Mrs Micah: Finance and Life.

Edith presents 99 Life Lessons Learned from Quitting Corporate America posted at Edith Yeung.Com: Dream. Think. Act..

Kate Baggott presents Has Sex Really Left the City? posted at Babylune, saying, “Most new parents are shocked to discover that their sex lives have changed. Still, no dry spell lasts forever and it’s time to see parenthood as an opportunity to grow into a better realtionship.”

While I was out Stumbling, I found presents WIN $250.00 cash for Christmas posted at Imaginif…, saying, “This is the last week to be in the draw to WIN $250.00 for Christmas. There are only 10 names in the draw so far so the chances for a cash WIN are EXCELLENT.”

Sue presents A reminder of valour posted at Spasmodic Dysphonia, saying, “I visited my husband’s war grave on a recent trip to Cooktown. May the valour of our deceased service men and women never be forgotten.”

Kay presents Entertaining Cats posted at Moggie Madness

Patric presents Firstly..take a deep breath posted at Mad Goat Lady

Climate change in Australia

If you’re a member of All For Women, more than likely you have seen Kay (Stormy Weather) wandering around the forums wreaking havoc and know a little bit about her already. She also blogs at Moggie Madness. Kay currently works in health care, but her passions lie in wildlife conservation and environmental issues. She has offered to share some of her knowledge some articles on these topics which have become so important to everyone in todays world.

With the federal election looming in less than 24 hours, I thought it would be a good time to talk a little bit about climate change. You have most likely heard a great deal about the issue in the media or perhaps from political representatives in your electorate. There is still a significant bone of contention in the scientific community as to whether climate change really exists or whether the current trend of warming is merely a cyclic change in the long life of our planet. I certainly have my own opinion but I don’t believe it is relevant. What it really comes down to is the kind of future we want for ourselves and future generations.

It’s a common saying among meteorologists that “climate is what you expect and weather is what you get”. The premise of climate change is that those expectations will have to change to accommodate unpredictable weather patterns. That in itself is not going to affect the human race all that greatly. Of all the species on the earth, human beings remain the only species capable of manipulating our climate and environment to suit ourselves. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case for the remainder of the species that inhabit the planet.

Many species and vulnerable habitats will suffer if we do nothing to abate global warming. For example, within Australia:

• The mountain pygmy possum, an already highly endangered species, survives winter in the alpine regions of NSW and Victoria by hibernation. Its habitat and primary food source (Bogong moth) will be threatened by less snow fall and could potentially result in extinction of the species.
• 
• The green ringtail possum found in World Heritage Areas of tropical north Queensland cannot control its body temperature with ambient temperatures above 30 degrees. Prolonged and more frequent heatwaves in the north could result in significant losses of this species.
• Australian vegetation evolved on nutrient poor soils and increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere leads to increased growth in many plants. Great news for the plants but not so great for the animals that feed off the foliage. Increased carbon dioxide reduces the nutrient value of the leaves – meaning species which are primarily “leaf-eaters” will need to eat more to meet nutritional requirements.
• Sea level rises could result in loss of the Australian coastline between 4-88m over the next 100 years as a result of melting polar ice caps. Coastal and estuarine ecosystems would be severely affected if this is the case.
• Changes in rainfall patterns are predicted with increased global warming. In a country that is predominantly semi-arid, this is a major concern – for biodiversity and in terms of water quality and quantity.

If you’re the kind of person who only thinks of how it will affect the human race, then I won’t disappoint you. Loss of biodiversity would make the world a much less interesting place but it could also affect how ecosystems function, resulting in:

• Degradation of the landscape, in terms of aesthetics and production;
• Reduced water quality available to human populations; and,
• Change in agricultural yield of crops and other primary industry activities.

Two hundred years of industrialisation has brought astonishing advances in technology, which we now consider being essential to our standard of living. If we want to maintain that standard of living, we really need to make better use of renewable technologies and ratify the Kyoto Protocol. If we do not ratify Kyoto, carbon trading schemes are largely ineffective as there is no “ceiling” for carbon emissions. There needs to be a cap on carbon emission rates or else there is no reason for polluters to participate in carbon trading – apart from any ethical/moral standpoint they may have on the issue. Reduction in carbon emissions does need to occur at the corporate/polluter level but there are many you can do as an individual – there’s a list of helpful suggestions here. The suggestions are all realistic for the majority of people and every little bit helps to curb our carbon emissions as a nation.

Helping girls move beyond Bratz, Britney and Bacardi Breezers.

Guest post by Dannielle Miller, CEO of Enlighten Education.

What is really going on in the playground and behind closed bedroom doors?

Teenage girls are living in a girl poisoning culture and, whilst they may appear to be coping as they are still performing well academically, underneath that “oh so perfect” façade, many are silently imploding:

• A quarter of teenage girls in Australia say they would get plastic surgery if they could, and two per cent have already gone under the knife.
• Almost 60 per cent wanted to be lighter on the scales, and 45 per cent said they knew someone with an eating disorder.
• 3 per cent have tried the party drug ice, five per cent had swallowed an ecstasy pill and 13 per cent have smoked marijuana.
• half said they drink alcohol, with one in five confessing to having done something they regret while they were drunk
• 85 per cent worried about achieving at school.
• Peer pressures is also a reality for many, with 70 per cent of girls confessing they have been bullied.
• As many as one in ten teenage girls self-harm. There is evidence to suggest that women, particularly those under 25, attempt suicide and self-harm at a higher rate than men, although male suicide rates remain considerably higher than female suicide rates. Estimates of self-harm rates suggest there are between 150 and 300 acts of self-harm for every female suicide.
• Sexually transmitted diseases are on the increase amongst young people, it has been estimated that as many as 28% of teenagers may have Chlamydia. In Australia, pregnancy termination (abortion) is the second most common hospital procedure for girls aged 12 to 24 years.

Whilst I am well aware that statistics can be misleading, I don’t think we can afford to dismiss such findings as alarmist. Certainly my own experiences as the co-founder and CEO of Enlighten Education, a company that works nationally with teen girls in schools delivering programs that aim to boost self esteem, foster a positive body image and help girls deconstruct the media messages they are bombarded with, confirm that this is true. I also don’t assert that there are necessarily any direct links between negative body image, incidents of self-harm and risky sexual practices – yet surely all are indicators that teenage girls are stressed, unhappy and looking for love? And surely there are implications for those of us raising and teaching young girls?

Courtney E. Martin, in her insightful new book “Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters, the Frightening New Normality of Hating Your Body,” laments the fact that many young women, raised by feminists who told them they could be anything, have misinterpreted the power messages and are now obsessed with becoming everything…successful, thin pretty and sexy. As there is nothing more bitter to a perfect girl than the taste of failure, self hatred has almost become a rite of passage for many teenage girls.

Courtney challenges readers to “step through the looking glass” and create new stories. She emphasises that no one story describes our healing as women, but rather that there are a series of moments when the light is let in.

 

“There is no healing without help.

There is no power as potent as possibility.

There is no transformation without truth.

There is no change without vulnerability.

There is no wisdom greater than that found inside you.

There is no beauty without struggle or aberration.

There is no statement like your life. There is no end.

There are only beginnings. ”

enlighten aims to be just one more beginning of a series of amazing, brave, wild adventures into self acceptance, and indeed self-love, for many girls. Wow. We love this role.

Let me now pose a challenge to you all - what is one small step you will make this week to end the culture of self hatred and help create a new beginning for yourself as a women?

Carnival of Australia

 

Welcome to the November 21, 2007 edition of Carnival of Australia. *whispers* I hope you guys didn’t hear all the swearing Megan was doing this afternoon trying to get blog carnival to play nice *hehe* But we made it, so on with the show….

Micellaneous Mum presents The Great Christmas Card Challenge - harking the start of NaBloPoMo posted at Miscellaneous Adventures of an Aussie Mum, saying, “An invitation to join my Christmas Card challenge. I’m up to 32 so far - let’s double it!”

SimoneM presents A Life Worth Writing, Reading, Sharing and Celebrating posted at Outfit Inspirations, saying, “Janet Shaw is a great Australian writer, blogger, athlete and friend. Her story will make you proud and inspired.”

Albert Foong presents Freedom from Judgement - the Beginning of Compassion » Personal Development - The Urban Monk posted at Urban Monk.

Roger presents GetUp! Blogs - What if there was an election, and no lefties camea? posted at GetUp!, saying, “Hoping Australia doesn’t suffer from electile dysfunction this Saturday….”

Sue Bayliss presents Dystonia musculorum deformans posted at Spasmodic Dysphonia.

Animals

Alex Garcia presents Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary posted at Life in Brisbane - Queensland - Australia, saying, “Officially recognised by the Guinness Book of World Records, Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary is the world’s first and largest koala sanctuary, with 80 years of experience and over 130 koalas.”

Kay presents The moggies guide to looking good!! posted at Moggie Madness.

Barbara presents Please look after your pets posted at Barmus

Patric presents Holiday, fun, pets posted at Mad Goat Lady

Business

Michelle Sweeney presents Plus Size Fashion posted at My New Shiny Shoes.

Current Affairs

Michelle Sweeney presents Walk for Post Natal Depression posted at Tonic Gifts.

Gavin R. Putland presents The Mother of All BBQ Stoppers posted at Gavonomics.

Roger presents Costello reaches out with fresh ad campaign!! posted at typing is not activism…., saying, “not just a federal treasurer, he’s a national treasure”

Family

Colin Campbell presents Aussie Love Story posted at Adelaide Green Porridge Cafe, saying, “Some Humour”

Karen Cheng presents The M Word posted at Karen Cheng’s Snippets of Life.

Leigh Ingram presents Budding Photographer posted at crazy meezer.

Helping a mate

Craig Harper presents Craig Meets Lance Armstrong posted at Motivation - Renovate your life with Craig, saying, “I was sitting at the lights lost in my own thoughts when all of a sudden I became aware of a presence… no, not a poltergeist; a bloke on a mountain bike had pulled up along side me. Three feet away. Coulda touched him. Game face on… waiting for the green signal. Like an Olympian waiting for the starters gun. Focused. Committed. And dressed atrociously.” Leigh: I loved this post when I when it was first posted, a must read.

Roger presents My message of support for Prime Minister John Howard posted at typing is not activism…., saying, “picture worth a thousand words?”

Indigenous issues

Peter Jones presents Native Title Claims and Australian Indigenous Aboriginal People posted at Indigenous Issues Today.

Politics

Gavin R. Putland presents What the Libs didn’t want to know about housing affordability posted at Australian Georgist Forum, saying, “For the Liberal [sic] Party, maintaining a shortage of housing is apparently more important than defeating Labor.”

Dr Martin W. Russell presents Why Help Yourself? posted at Dr Martin W. Russell.

Barry Pittard presents Sai Baba’s Un Divine Downfall posted at Call For Media and Government Investigation of Sathya Sai Baba, India’s Most Famous Guru.

swollenpickles presents Helping you make your voting decision posted at Swollen Pickles.

Technology

Tiffany Colter presents Reaching more people with your blog posted at Writing Career Coach.

Andrew Boyd presents Inbound Link Detection 101 posted at Facibus On Blogging, saying, “How do you know when someone has linked to one of your posts? Or to your blog in general?”

Andrew Boyd presents Despite my best efforts… at On Blogging Australia posted at On Blogging Australia, saying, “I’m wondering why my rankings are on the increase when I’ve been blogging less…”

Megan Bayliss presents What?s a blog got to do with child protection? Me me Megan Bayliss posted at Imaginif…, saying, “The help I have received from Aussie bloggers never fails to astound me. Small in populace, interest and fast internet when compared to our U.S. blogging colleagues, we are larger than life in helping a mate and growing as a collective. Read how and why I got into blogging and who my Aussie bloggy mentors are.”

Megt presents Measuring Blog Success and Formulas for Top Lists posted at Dipping into the Blogpond, saying, “There are many measures we can use to gauge a blog’s success, but what is the best way to quantify this?”

Travel

Guera presents Care Package posted at A Roaming Aussie Mum, saying, “I wasn’t sure whether to file this under travel or food…”

Thanks for stopping by, and joining another great Carnival of Australia. Good luck to all those in search of 5c Jetstar tickets tonight!

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Carnival of Australia using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Top 50 Australian Women Bloggers Updated

The list was updated yesterday, didn’t get a chance to post about it till now.

A few new blogs added this week..Hoyden about town, My new shiny shoes and Reason you will hate me.

A big thanks to everyone who has been emailing about their blogs, or people they know. Don’t stop! I’m going to put a bit of a Australian Women bloggers directory together so we can show of ALL the girls, not just those with the magic numbers. I hope to get a rough draft up next week.

So if your an Aussie Woman blogger, no matter how big or small your blog is leave a comment or email me so we can let everyone else know about it.

All Women Blogging Carnival

Happy Monday Ladies!

Jo has done a fantabulous job of hosting this weeks carnival. She rounded up lots of wonderful new faces and has lots of yummy nibbles and drinks. So jump on over and check out all the great posts, stop by and say hi to everyone. Be sure to remember your link back to Jo!

All you Aussie bloggers, don’t forget to get your articles in for the Carnival of Australia, there is still time!

And while I’m here, I mose well dob myself in. I failed NaBloPoMo, I only made it 17 Days (yes, yes Jen, I know you told me so :P) I skipped 2 posts over the weekend, I was feeling sick and crappy with tonsillitis and a cold. Yes, I know you don’t blog with your throat but I was grumpy, I probably could have slapped any old thing up and no one would have cared but I just thought to hell with it! Oh well..maybe next year *hehe*

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